Sweet Insanity
by ObsidianButterfly28
Summary: Cloud decides to leave Midgar in the search to find a new life, leaving Tifa behind. Two years later, he finally realizes his love for Tifa and goes back to Midgar to find her only to discover that she has been living in Costa Del Sol. When Cloud finds her, he discovers that she has a boyfriend. Will Cloud win back her heart or is he too late? Rated M just to be safe. R&R please!
1. Chapter I: Leaving Midgar

*Author's note:

I do not own Final Fantasy 7 or any of its characters; they belong to Square Enix. However, I do own the character of Alexei in this fic.

Enjoy!

Tifa leaned her head against her head as she through a damp dish rag in the sink.

"What a night." She said breathing heavily. The bar had been swarming with customers all day. Fridays were always like that; Seventh Heaven had no trouble regaining its popularity with the public after the people of Midgar found out that the ones who owned the bar, were in fact the heroes of the planet. Tifa let out a long stretch of relief and smiled at the thought of the day finally being over. Walking over to the window, she looked outside to ensure that there were no customers outside. She walked out of the front of the bar and sat on the steps. She inhaled the cool night air and let the wind take with it, all of the stress from the day...it was nice having so much quiet...so much peace. Tifa smiled and leaning her head against the side railing, she began to sing softly to herself; unaware that she had an audience.

Cloud Strife had just finished tucking Marlene and Denzel in the bar. He walked downstairs in search of Tifa, He stopped when he heard the sound of a mellifluous voice. Cloud pulled the curtain back from the window and saw Tifa there with her eyes closed, sitting on the front steps. Cloud cracked the door ever so slightly so as not to startle her.

_You'll yield to me_

_Like a scent in the breeze_

_And you'll wonder what it is about me_

_It's my big secret_

_Keeping you calling _

_Slow like honey_

_Heavy with mood_

Tifa's voice was sweet and feminine, like the sound of a gentle rain storm, capable of bringing serenity to even the most tumultuous of souls. Cloud lips curved slightly to form a small smirk. Tifa's eyes widened at the sound of something behind her. She flipped her head around only to see the rugged blonde standing in the doorway. Her face began to fill up with blood causing her to blush immensely.

"How long have you been standing there? Tifa said with a nervous look.

"I just walked out." Cloud lied, not wanting to embarrass her.

Tifa nodded and turned her gaze back up to the stars. Cloud walked over, Tifa's voice still lingering in his ears.

"It's cold, why are you out here?" he asked.

" Just wanted to look at the stars I guess, I wish we could see them more here." Tifa replied, her eyes still fixated on the sky above. With all of the lights and the fog constantly hovering in the air, a clear night was virtually unheard of in Midgar.

" I know a place, would you like to come?" Cloud asked.

Tifa broke her gaze to look at Cloud with a puzzled expression.

"Sure." she answered.

Cloud smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling her up from the steps.

They walked through Midgar, relying on Cloud to direct them to their location.

"Here" Cloud said quietly, his gaze turning to the sky, capturing the beauty of the brilliantly illuminated night. Tifa, following Cloud's suit, lifted her eyes and with an astonished look, gasped lightly at the magnificent sight of a silver dusted sky.

" This is incredible Cloud!" she smiled

Tifa turned her eyes to him. "Thank you for bringing me here." she said sweetly

Cloud simply looked at her and smiled.

In the middle of the Midgar playground, the two sat for a good while. Tifa leaning back on her hands with her legs extended out with her feet crossed; Cloud leaning on his left hand with the other rested on his lifted knee.

"Hey Teef?" Cloud asked, his expression suddenly becoming more stern, breaking away from his once tranquil state.

"Hm?" Tifa said peacefully, her eyes still focused on the sky.

"I need to tell you something.." Cloud said

Tifa looked down at Cloud with a confused look.

"What is it?" Tifa said; her voice filled with worry

"I don't know how to tell you this." Cloud replied, running his hand through his golden spikes.

Tifa simply looked at him concerned; her brow slightly furrowed.

"I'm quitting the delivery job." He said

Confused, Tifa replied "Why?" "Did something happen?"

"No, but that's not what I want to tell you..." Cloud said, his gaze now turned to the ground.

Tifa inhaled deeply and nodded to Cloud giving him her approval to say what he needed to say.

Cloud grabbed Tifa's hand and began to lightly trace his thumb against her knuckles.

"Tifa...I'm leaving this place...I have to get out of Midgar..."


	2. Chapter II: Breaking the News

Tifa's widened and she pulled her self away from Cloud.

Choking on her breath she muttered "W-w-what do you mean you're leaving?"

Cloud moved closer to her.

"There's nothing left for me here Teef, just memories of all that's happened here."

"I can't seem to forget."

" I want a new beginning.." Cloud said, his head hanging low

Cloud waited for a reply from Tifa, turned her head away from him.

"So, Denzel, Marlene...and I aren't enough for you to stay?"

" Are we that useless to you?" She asked with a pained expression, picking herself up on her feet.

Cloud's heart sank when he saw tears begin to form in Tifa's crimson eyes. He reached out to touch her arm but she shrugged him off and backed away; still refusing to look at him.

"Tifa, please don't take it that way..I-"

"How am I supposed to take it Cloud?"

"As a compliment?" Tifa asked, her expression now slightly annoyed.

"I just wanted to tell you Teef.." Cloud said, now ashamed.

Tifa smirked an shook her head, her eyes cast to the ground.

" I was a fool to put myself into your hands." she said quietly,

Cloud looked confused by what she'd just said.

"Just when I think everything is how it should be...you're there to take it all away." she whispered, trying her hardest not to begin sobbing.

Cloud reach his hand out to try and cup her cheek and she pushed his hand away and turned from him. Cloud attempted once more to grasp her shoulders, begging her to hear him out.

"Tifa, I need you to try and understand."

"You've already made it crystal clear." Tifa said and she began to move away from him. Starting with a fast paced walk then attempted to run from him; tears flying behind her.

Cloud started to step forward but then caught himself and decided to let her go. Nothing he could say was going to justify his actions in her mind.

'You see Teef...I can only bring you harm...' he thought to himself. Cloud turned away and walked off, heading to retrieve Fenrir. Now...there truly was nothing left for him in Midgar...

Finally reaching Fenrir, he grasped the handle and took one look back. With sigh and his head hung low, he turned and mounted his motorcycle and rode off. Leaving everything he's ever known behind.

Tifa ran as fast as she could back to the bar. When she reached the steps, she dropped down to her knees and begin to sob; choking on her tears and out of breath,she turned around and leaned her head back on the railing, trying to understand and absorb what had just happened. She'd been through so much in her life but she'd never felt a pain that compared to what she was feeling in that moment. All of those years she'd depended on Cloud, the years they'd fought side by side, they meant nothing to him . They couldn't have if it was this simple for him to decide to leave.

Tifa picked herself up and walked into the bar with what had felt like the heaviest steps she'd ever taken. She let out a sigh and proceeded up the stairs. She leaned in the doorway of Marlene and Denzel's room. 'What are they going to think?' Tifa thought. The kids loved Cloud so much and Denzel looked up to him; Cloud was the only father-type figure he'd ever known. Tifa knew that he would take the news harder than Marlene would. Tifa went back into her bedroom and sat on her bed. Picking up the picture on her nightstand of the Seventh Heaven family. She smiled only briefly and it quickly soured into a look of disappointment. She turned her head to the side and tossed the picture into the garbage. Yet again, they were left as a broken family; forced to adapt to yet another new life; one without Cloud. She lied down on the bed and drifted off to sleep; still left with so many unrequited questions.

Morning came and Tifa awoke to the Marlene and Denzel rushing down the stairs. Her eyes still red and inflamed from crying. ' I have to tell them.'

she thought. Rising up out of bed, she changed and went downstairs.

"Morning Tifa!" they cheerfully greeted her.

"Where's Cloud? He wasn't in his room?" Denzel asked

Tifa took in a deep breath

"Come over here guys, sit down, we need to talk." Tifa said, her voice soft and meek.

Marlene and Denzel walked over slowly and sat down at the table next to Tifa.

"Guys, Cloud's gone." "He said he needed to leave, to start over." She said heavily

Marlene and Denzel were taken back, their mouths slightly open in shock.

"Why would he leave us? He's going to come back though...isn't he?" Marlene asked, her voice full of sadness and her breathing becoming heavier.

Tifa looked at Marlene with a face full of concern. "I don't know sweetie...I don't know."

Marlene began to sob softly. She'd grown to love Cloud. Denzel, however, was completely silent, his expression completely stoic. He pushed his chair back from the table and got up.

"Denzel?" Tifa asked

Denzel took off running toward the door and out of the bar.

"Denzel! Wait!" Tifa exclaimed. She could only conceive of the level of betrayal he was feeling.

Denzel stopped at the steps of the bar and let out a quiet sob. Tifa stood behind him, her heart aching from listening to his sobs. She walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. She tried show him comfort by taking him into her arms and hugging him tightly.

"Why would he do this to us?" Denzel said, struggling to put together his words through the sobbing.

"Was it us? Did we bug him?" Denzel asked, trying to find a reason why Cloud had abandoned them.

Tifa pulled him back from her and grabbed both of his shoulders. "Denzel, this is not your fault...he did what he felt he needed to do for him...you did nothing wrong..do you understand me?" she said, almost not believing her own words.

"We'll figure this out...we'll be okay." she reassured him, forcing a smile. Denzel nodded and she asked him to go back inside with Marlene. Tifa stood outside for a moment at the front steps and looked out into the day with eyes silently pleading for Cloud's return. She then turned and went back into the bar to console the kids.

Cloud sat out in on the fields of the grasslands, a small bonfire illuminated his face. His eyes were heavy and he slowly sipped on some water and picked away at the meat hanging from a spit over the fire. He put his cup down and lied on the grass with both of his hands behind his head. That pained expression on Tifa's face when he told her that he was leaving was burned into his psyche. Cloud tried to rid his mind of the image. 'They're all better off' he thought to himself. He got up and walked over to his makeshift tent, pausing to look back momentarily. Something in him was hoping that when he turned around he'd would see Tifa there. Cloud turned back and went into his tent, turning in for the night.


	3. Chapter III: A New Life

Tifa leaned her arms against the banisters of the ship. She peered out into the sea and welcomed the salty sea breeze to blow through her hair, carrying it gently, her short yellow sundress rippling, the wind embracing her gently. Tifa was ready for a new start to her life, hoping to be reborn. Her mind would still revert back to that night, six months ago, to the last night she saw Cloud Strife. Throughout those months, Tifa held onto a small glimmer of hope that Cloud would return but never did. It was like he had never existed; she tried calling and his phone was out of service and no one had seen any sign of the blond. Tifa simply was forced to accept the realization that he was not coming back. Eventually, things got back to normal. Marlene was now returned to Barett's custody, happy as can be. Denzel was still with Tifa. She knew that she would never abandon him. He still had moments when he would think of Cloud too, she could see it in his expression, appearing as though he were in deep thought.

"Hey Tifa!" shouted a young man behind her. Tifa turned her head, the wind now blowing her hair to the front of her face. She smiled as she saw Denzel running up to her.

"Hey you." she said

"Teef, I made this for you." Denzel said, holding up a small bracelet of seashells. Tifa smiled brightly at the young boy and tousled hair a bit.

"Aw Denzel it's lovely! Thank you" "you keep that up and you're going to be quite the ladies man when your older." Tifa joked. Denzel smiled and blushed from embarrassment. Both turned back to face the sea.

"So, are we almost there Teef?" Denzel asked.

"Almost!" she said smiling, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

"what are we going to do when we get to Costa Del Sol?" Denzel asked.

Tifa smiled. "We're going to build a new life." she said

"Will I see Marlene again?" he asked. Marlene and Denzel had become each other's support in the time of Cloud's absence. But when Barett requested custody of Marlene as soon as he'd had the means to give her the life he always wanted her to have, Tifa could not refuse.

"Of course." She reassured him.

"They'll be by in a few months to visit once we've gotten settled."

A grin came across Denzel's face and with an excited voice he shouted

"Look Tifa! I see it!"

Costa Del Sol was finally in sight and Tifa smiled, after all of this time, she was finally ready, ready to start her life free of burden.

The ship soon docked and Tifa and Denzel grabbed their bags and descended down the ship. The sun warming Tifa. She loved it here. Everyone was always so carefree. It felt wonderful to be far away from the dismal atmosphere of Midgar. The air was clean and Tifa closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, the sweet salty air and let the sound of the waves and chatter from vacationers fill her ears.

"Denzel, I'm going to go look around for some available villas." "Why don't you head to the market over there and pick out what you'd like me to cook for dinner, I'll be back in just a bit." she said.

Denzel nodded and walked off.

Walking around, Tifa approached a small stand with fliers advertising villas that were on sale. Tifa looked through some of them and found a villa that looked perfect from the picture. She wanted to find a villa that had a lot of land so that she could build a new bar. Tifa grabbed the flier and went out in search for the villa's location. After a few miles of walking, she became frustrated when she couldn't seem to find it. Tifa glared at her map trying to figure out where she was in location to the villa.  
"Where the hell is i-." Tifa's train of thought was lost when she'd bumped into a young man from behind.

"Excuse me, I'm so sorry." She apologized

The man turned to face Tifa. He was tall , with long brown hair tied back into a messy ponytail at the nape of his neck. He was carrying a surfboard. His eyes were such a pure green that an emerald would shy itself a way in shame. Tifa swallowed hard and found herself locked onto his bare, well-toned body.

"Oh that's okay Miss." He said, smiling nervously. He stared at her as began to blush. He'd never seen such a beauty. He knew for sure that she was not from around here. He would remember such a beauty any day. Tifa smiled in a coy manner and looked down, tucking her hair behind her left ear.

"So you must not be from around here." the man asked. His voice was husky and quite debonair, with a slight rasp to it. She cleared her throat and looked back up to him, trying not to lose her focus in his forest green eyes.

"Why do assume that." she asked timidly.

He chuckled, "Well I think I'd remember someone like you."

Tifa blushed vastly. "I just departed from the ship." she said

"So what brings you to Costa Del Sol? Vacationing maybe?" The man asked.

"Um no, actually I'm looking to purchase this villa." She answered, showing him the flyer.

"Do you know where I could find it?"

the let out a soft laugh. "Well it doesn't help that you've been going completely in the wrong direction, it's about a half a mile that way." He said pointing toward the north side of Costa Del Sol.

Tifa's flushed the deepest red and she chuckled in embarrassment.

"Thanks." she said and began to walk away.

"Hey, hang on a second!" he shouted to her.

Tifa turned around to face him again.

"Um can I at least know your name?" the man asked

She smiled sweetly " I'm Tifa." she said

"It's a pleasure to meet you Tifa, now that's an interesting name isn't it? " he said bowing his head slightly. "It suits you." he said

I'm Alexei." he said, flashing a small smile to Tifa.

Tifa grinned " It was nice meeting you." She said.

"Oh the pleasure's all mine." he said.

" Hey, I own a surf shop on the south side of town. Would you maybe be interesting in some surfing lessons?" he asked, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Well, I'm in the process of buying a villa, so I'm not sure I should spend money on surfing lessons just yet." she replied, flattered by his request.

"Oh that's okay, why don't you come by this weekend and I'll give you some lessons free of charge." he asked, he was not willing to let her out his sight before arranging some kind of date where he could see her again.

Tifa nodded lightly. "Um, okay, yeah, sure." she said nervously

"Alright, shall we say noon?" he asked

Tifa nodded again.

"Tifaaaaa! wait up!" Tifa turned around to see Denzel running toward her with two bags of groceries. She smiled at him.

"Tifa, I waited for and got worried." Denzel said while trying to catch his breath.

"Oh I'm sorry sweetie." she said, feeling bad that she'd lost track of time.

"Who's that? He asked, looking directly at Alexei.

"Hey little man, I'm Alexei." he replied, reaching his hand out for a handshake.

Denzel smiled and shook his hand.

"C'mon Tifa, I think you're going to really like what I picked out for dinner." Denzel begged.

Tifa nodded "Okay." she said.

She turned back to face Alexei. "Well I need to go." she told him.

"Yeah, so I'll see you on Saturday at noon?" he asked

Tifa smiled and assured him that she would be there and walked off with Denzel. As she walked away. Alexei's eyes were still fixated on her. He smiled and turned around, heading off to tend to his shop. While walking, Tifa looked back at the man who had flattered her in a way she hadn't been flattered in the longest time. Most men were so forward with her. Alexei acted like a gentleman; a very refreshing trait for Tifa. She turned back and walked with Denzel to a local hotel for the night. She would go back out to purchase the villa tomorrow.

Tifa and Denzel enjoyed their dinner, watched some television and she tucked Denzel in for bed. After tucking him in, she walked out to the balcony. The stars shone so brilliantly here, the moon wavering and rippling in it's reflection on the ocean water. Looking at the stars made Tifa's mind go back to that night in the Midgar playground...to the night when she'd last saw him. There was a part of her that missed him so terribly and held on to the hopes that he would return someday and there was a part of her that knew she had to let go of him. As the moon shone down on her porcelain skin, a small tear slipped down her cheek, shining from the moonlight. It fell off her cheek and into the sands below. She watched as the tide came in and washed over the sand. "I hope you've found your place." she said and turned to go back inside..


	4. Chapter IV: An Old FriendSurfing Lesson

**Chapter IV**

Tifa woke up for the first time in her newly bought villa. It was Friday, she had her date with Alexei tomorrow. Tifa got up and showered, getting ready for the day. She figured she go see the sights and maybe pick out some new furniture for the villa and talk to a contractor to help her build a bar. Denzel had met a few kids his age at the beach and he was going to hang out with them for the day. Tifa slipped on a robin's egg blue summer dress that reached just above her knees. It had a beautiful cross back top with a sweetheart neckline. Tifa thought back to when Yuffie had begged her to purchase the dress after trying it on at a small shop in Kalm. Tifa smiled lightly, remembering all of the good times she had with her friends. Tifa pulled back her hair in a ponytail, allowing some small pieces to still frame her heart shaped face. She walked outside and let the sunlight engulf her. God she loved it here.

After a few hours of running errands, finally finding a contractor and having furniture delivered to the villa early Sunday morning, she decided to go to one of the local hot spots for a quick drink before she had to pick up Denzel. Tifa mostly wanted to see what her competition would be like in Costa Del Sol but she also wanted to get to know some of the locals. The bar/restaurant was called "Rockin' Chocobo" and it had a ridiculous banner of a chocobo holding a martini glass. 'This is the local hotspot?' Tifa thought to herself. She shrugged her shoulders and took a seat at the bar and ordered a dark and stormy. A young redheaded woman sat next to her at the bar, she seemed about Tifa's age and ordered a margarita. The young woman looked at Tifa and said with a friendly smile

"Hey I don't think I've seen you around here before." "I'm Paige."

"Tifa." she replied shaking her hand . Paige was a small framed woman with wild red curls. Her voice was high pitched and slightly annoying.

"So what brings you here?" Paige asked.

"Um it's a long story." Tifa said while sipping her drink.

"Oh okay, I won't pry." Paige laughed.

"Have you met anyone around here? Everyone is really nice." Paige said

"Um, well I met one person, he owns a surf shop downtown. I'm supposed to meet up with him for a free surf lesson tomorrow" Tifa replied

Tifa heard no reply from Paige and turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide and her mouth gaped open. She sat still for a second and then said

"Alexei?" she asked in a tone that almost suggested that she couldn't believe that Tifa had met him.

Tifa simply nodded, almost frightened of Paige at this point.

"Alexei never gives out free lessons..it's a date isn't it?" Paige asked suggestively.

"Oh I don't know, I just met him." Tifa replied

"You have no idea of how lucky you are do you?" Paige asked, staring at Tifa.

"Girls here would kill to go out on a date with Alexei." she said in a dramatic tone.

Tifa simply thought silently. So Alexei is a sought after bachelor in this town. It almost made him more intriguing to her. Tifa finished off the last few sips of her drink and payed the bartender.

"Well it was nice meeting you Paige." Tifa said, nodding in Paige's direction.

"Nice meeting you too!" Paige waived gleefully.

'What a strange girl.' Tifa thought to herself and she walked off to retrieve Denzel and bring him back home.

Driving for hours, Cloud knew he needed to stop soon. Wutai was nearby and he decided to head in that direction. Cloud had become something in the way of a nomad; never staying in one place for too long. He'd picked up odd jobs every now, fending off beasts for local villages and still picking up the occasional delivery job. Without an entire bar and business to support, he was able to get by easily.

Pulling into the village of Wutai, Cloud found a local inn and requested a room for the night. Cloud decided to gather some more materials, while he was in town, most of the villages he had passed through were very small in size and in population and the shops were not all that helpful. The first shop Cloud walked into was titled 'Materia World.' The shopkeeper was had their back facing Cloud, adjusting and organizing various materia. The shopkeeper heard footsteps and completely lost track of what they were doing and slipped, causing an entire shelf of materia to come crashing down on their head.

"Oh great..now I have to re-organize this entire row, GAH!" the shopkeeper said. Turning around to greet Cloud.

"Welcome to Materia W...CLOUD?"

The shopkeeper was none other than Yuffie Kisagari. Cloud should have know it was her by how klutzy she was. Although he preferred to have as little communication with people as possible, seeing a familiar face was quite nice.

"Hey Yuf." He said with a slight smirk, practically the only thing close to a smile Cloud was capable of.

"What are you doing in Wutai!" she shouted

"I'm just passing by." He replied, not wanting to give out anymore information.

Yuffie looked at him, her face slightly wrinkled, as if she knew he was hiding something.

"Oh, well where is everyone?" she said, looking behind Cloud, hoping to see some more familiar faces, especially Tifa's; she dearly missed her best friend.

"They're in Midgar, I left about six months ago." Cloud said

Yuffie looked at him with the strangest face. "You left? Why?" she said in a concerned tone.

Cloud's gaze dropped to the floor. " I just needed to move on." he said

"Hm" Yuffie said aloud

"Tifa must be devastated." she said

Cloud's head shot up "She knows that I left, I told her I was going to leave." Cloud said defensively.

"Oh I bet she took that really well." Yuffie said sarcastically.

Cloud cocked his eyebrow "What do you mean by that?" he asked, curious of the meaning behind her words.

"Well you know, how would you feel if the love of your life up and ran off when ever they pleased?" She said flicking him on the forehead.

"Yuffie, Tifa and I were just friends." he assured her.

"Wow you are a meat-head." she said, hopping up on the counter, tossing a materia back and forth in her hands. " I still can't believe she never had the guts to tell you how she felt." Yuffie said.

Cloud was silent; true he always knew that Tifa had a little something for him but he never thought much of it, just a childhood crush, he'd had the same feeling when they were kids.

"Boy did you miss your shot with her." she said with a bit of venom laced in her words.

"Yuffie, I don't need this, I really don't. Tifa and I were just friends and that's it." He said forcefully.

Yuffie smiled and simply shrugged her shoulders, letting Cloud have his way.

Cloud purchased his materia and then proceeded to walk out of the shop.

"Wait!" Yuffie exclaimed. " Take care of yourself Cloud." She said

Cloud nodded and walked out of the shop, heading for the next couple of shops. As he walked through the streets his thoughts began to take over his mind. 'That is a ridiculous theory, Tifa just thought of me as a dear friend...didn't she?' he thought. He silenced his toiling mind and continued through the town shops.

Saturday had arrived and Tifa dressed herself in a small black bikini, showing off her toned, yet soft body perfectly. She slipped over a simple sundress and walked out of her villa to Alexei's shop. It had been so long since she was on..well a date...if she would even consider it that. Tifa's stomach did flips as anxiety and excitement battled with each other. Denzel was out at a children's surfing class and then he was going to hang out with his friends again, so Tifa's afternoon was open. She approached Alexei's shop, it had a fun vibe to it; it was full of color and had a variety of selections of surfboards, equipment and outfits it was called 'Costa Del Surf.' Tifa giggled at the cute title. Walking to the back of the shop, Tifa saw a familiar dark haired man wearing a tight black wet suit, hugging every muscle in his upper body. Tifa's cheeks had already begun to flush. The man turned to face her.

"Hey Tifa!, you ready for your lesson?" he said with a bright smile.

Tifa nodded, with her head cocked slightly to try and hide her flushed cheeks.

"Alright well let's get started!" he said in an upbeat voice.

'He's so different from Cl-' she had to stop her mind from picturing Cloud. She nodded to Alexei and he handed her a surfboard and they exited the shop and heading to the crystal clear ocean. Both put their ankles in the cool water. Tifa began to fumble with the board, unsure of how to lay it in the water. Alexei watched Tifa with a puzzled and amused expression.

"is this your first lesson?" Alexei asked, chuckling lightly.

"How'd you guess?" Tifa asked sarcastically.

Alexei gave her a cocked smile. And said "well first rule, that's my board so try not to break it." he joked. Tifa blushed and and rolled her eyes in a playful manner.

Alexei proceeded to explain to Tifa some of the basic rules of surfing. And Tifa tried to absorb as much as she could.

"Now this wave swelling now is perfect, I'm gonna go for it, you be sure to watch my posture." Alexei said, paddling out to greet the newly born wave. Tifa watched as he expertly coasted across the wave, making it look so effortless. As the wave broke, Alexei jumped into the water and after a second flew back up and swam to Tifa.

"Think you can handle a smaller one." he asked.

"I hope so." she said nervously.. "I mean definitely." she said.

Alexei grinned at how adorable she was.

"Alright well here's your chance." he said pointing to a small wave, a pitiful one in comparison to the one Alexei had just took on.

Tifa nervously swam up to the wave and wobbly tried to stand up on her board as the wave curled over her. She hadn't been standing on the board for more than a half a second and she fell gawkily into the water.

Alex held his head back and laughed as soon as he saw Tifa surface from the water.

"Shut up you!" she yelled back, still bobbing in the water like a buoy. Alexei paddled back to her and helped Tifa get back up on her board. Tifa's face was as red as a raspberry.

"That was very skillful." He teased.

Tifa with a mischievous grin, playfully pushed Alexei off of his board and into the water, but Alexei managed to grab her hand and pull her down with her, letting out a quick squeal before hitting he water.

As the Alexei and Tifa were still underwater, they playfully fought, bubbles began to rise as they chuckled under the surface. Swimming back to the surface, they both laughed gleefully, and stared into each others' eyes as the giggles slowly faded. Alexei stroked the side of Tifa's cheek and pushed her hair behind her ear. Tifa let out a trembling sigh and Alexei pulled her in closer, taking her a little off guard. Placing his hand on the back of her head gently, Alexei pulled Tifa in for a soft kiss. Tifa's eyes widened at first but then slowly fell into his kiss, placing her hand gently on his chest. When the kiss broke, their were locked once again.

"Wow..." Alexei said softly.

Tifa grinned and went in for another kiss, Alexei welcoming it.


	5. Chapter V: Epiphany

Tossing in his sleep in the middle of the night, perspiring and breathing heavily, Cloud shot up from his sleeping bag from a dream that had seemed so real. The images from the dream seemed so vivid, the same dream which had been haunting him for the past year and a half, ever since that talk with Yuffie. Every dream was about Tifa; she would be standing on the edge of a cliff, peering out into the horizon. She would turn to look at Cloud standing behind her and smiled at him. As soon as he would try to reach her, the silver haired demon would descend to her and took her life away in the same way he'd taken away someone else dear to Cloud. Every night, he would take her and every night, Cloud was too late. His chest heaving, Cloud began to feel tears run down his cheeks. Reaching his gloved hand to touch his cheeks, he pulled his hand back to see tears glistening against his glove. Cloud clenched his fist and put his head in his other hand and began to sob uncontrollably. His shoulders trembling and his head aching. Cloud finally released all of the emotion he'd been suppressing for well over a year. Cloud lifted his head out of his hand, his eyes blazing red and his cheeks tear stained. With each passing thought of Tifa, Cloud began to remember what Yuffie had said to him back in Wutai. He started to reminisce everything he'd been through with Tifa; how she never left his side, despite how cold he could be, she was always there and just the thought of losing Tifa forever, never looking into those red wine eyes, never seeing that sweet smile was worse than any pain he'd ever felt.

"God, I love you.." Cloud said aloud to himself. Cloud immediately walked out of his tent and turned his eyes upward to the heavens, remembering the night he left her. He could recall telling her that he wanted something new, a new beginning, well no life was worth living if he couldn't wake up to find Tifa by his side everyday. Cloud's gaze broke away from the sky. He grabbed his sword, got on Fenrir and skidded off ; he was returning to the only home he's ever known, to the place where he knew he belonged, with Tifa. Driving off, he left a cloud of smoke in his wake.

Cloud drove for days, stopping only for food and drink. He was determined to get back to Tifa as soon as he possibly could.

Finally arriving in Midgar after days of travel, Cloud dismounted Fenrir and ran as fast as his legs could carry him to Seventh Heaven. Finally reaching the bar, he stopped, out of breath and stared at the front of it in bewilderment. The doors were boarded over and an 'available for lease' sign was in the front window. A lump began to form in Cloud's throat and he ran up the stairs and pounded on the door.

"No, no, no, NO!" he shouted. Cloud pulled back from the door and walked over to the window. He took the the backside of his sword and slammed it into the window, shattering it. He climbed through the window and walked through the dilapidated interior, his boots cracking glass, bar stools were laying askew on the floor. And the bar counter was covered in about an inch of dust and debris. Cloud turned his gaze to the stairs and ran up to the bedrooms. Cloud's heart pounding in anxiety, he shouted for Tifa, Marlene and Denzel, his voice echoing throughput the bar; each shout replied with nothing but dead silence. His echoes being the only reply. He peered into each of the kids' room and saw nothing but the framing of a bed. He ran into empty room and saw the same. Cloud, now panicking, ran out of the bar, got on Fenrir and drove to Barett's house, hoping that he could explain what the hell was going on.

Arriving at Barett's house only a few minutes later, Cloud walked up the door and began knocking on the door furiously.

"Barett!, Barett It's Cloud!" he shouted.

Opening the door, Barett was shocked to see Cloud standing there. He grimaced at the very sight of him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Barett shouted.

"You're not welcome here anymore Spike." he told Cloud with a stern voice.

"Who is it daddy?" a sweet voice echoed from in the house.

Barett turned to reply "No body sweetheart, why don't you make us some chocolate milk and bring it out back."

"Okay daddy!"

"Is that Marlene?" Cloud asked

"The hell do you care?" Barett snapped

Cloud sighed and tried to explain himself. Barett stepped outside, shutting the door behind him to listen to Cloud's pathetic explanation of why he'd abandoned all of them.

"Barett listen, I'm well aware of how fucked up I am and how foolish my decisions have been." he explained camly.

"Psh, damn straight." Barett said, glaring at Cloud with hard eyes, ready to reach out and choke him at each passing moment.

"Barett, why is the bar closed? Where are Tifa and Denzel?" Cloud asked desperately.

Barett cocked his eyebrow at Cloud. "And why the sudden interest Spike? Been what, two years now?"

Cloud turned his gaze to the ground, ashamed. "Please Barett." he begged. A tear slowly descending down his cheek.

Barett's firm stance softened at the sight of Cloud weeping; a reaction he'd never seen of Cloud before. He sighed and said

"Well you won't find her here." Barett replied.

Cloud looked at him confused, his heart slowly sinking.

"She moved to Costa Del Sol about six months or so after you left, said she needed a new start, and she closed the bar, took Denzel, said goodbye and that's it." Barett explained.

Cloud nodded and began to turn around.

"Spike!" Barett shouted. Cloud turning around to face him.

"You really hurt her y'know. She stopped talking for weeks after you left. After a couple of months, she started to come around but she was never really herself." Barett explained.

Cloud shook his head, looking down. He put a hand to the back of his neck.

"I know Barett. That's why I need to find her, I need to explain a few things to her." Cloud said.

Barett nodded at Cloud and put his hand on Cloud's shoulder. " Good luck spike.." he said. And with that, Cloud drove off.

Tifa sat outside on the balcony of her villa. Her eyes closed, she peacefully listened to the ocean waves crashing on the beach. A man approached behind her, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and nuzzled his nose on the side of her neck. Tifa smiled and giggle slightly as she felt a slight tickle.

"Do you have any idea how gorgeous you look right now?" Alexei said in her ear.

Tifa turned her head to face him and smiled, kissing him gently.

"I'm making tea, would you like some?" he asked

"Sure, I'll be right there she said."

Alexei had moved in with Tifa a about 3 months ago. Their relationship had blossomed and Tifa felt lucky to have a man who cared for her as much as Alexei did. Tifa became rather unpopular with some of the girls in the town who were always swooning over him. They couldn't believe that the bachelor of Costa Del Sol had finally settled down. Her bar was finally open, calling it 'Final Heaven'. It was a slow start but word began to spread around the area and the bar became popular quickly after that, especially knowing that it was owned by Alexei's girl. It took some time but Denzel warmed up to Alexei and became quite fond of him, Alexei was crazy about Denzel. Everyone finally seemed content.

Tifa's peaceful moment was interrupted when she heard the doorbell ring.

"I'll get it!" she shouted.

Tifa ran downstairs and opened the door. Her eyes widened and her breathing ceased as she stared at the figure standing in her doorway.

"Tifa.." Cloud said soflty, staring at her with remorseful eyes.


	6. Chapter VI: Reunited

Tifa was left speechless as she stared into those mako blue eyes she knew so well. Although somehow, they looked different to her. They carried with them sort of gentleness while she was usually only greeted with a stern stare from them. Tifa swallowed deeply and blinked rapidly, turning her eyes away.

"Why are you here?" she said, trying her best to keep calm.

Cloud looked up at Tifa and took a slow step toward her.

"I- I needed to see you...to explain some things.." He told her with a trembling voice.

Tifa quickly shot back, almost cutting him off.

"There's nothing to explain." She said

Cloud inhaled deeply and ran his hand through his spiky blond hair. "Teef, can I just talk to you for a sec-"

"Who is it babe? Is everything okay?" Alexei shouted from upstairs, cutting off Cloud.

Cloud's breath was stolen away and his heart began racing. His body becoming tense as he heard another man's voice in the house...calling her babe of all things.

"Nothing, I've got it!" she shouted back.

Tifa turned back to face Cloud.

"Teef, who is that?" Cloud asked, his eyes full of concern.

Tifa turned her head up to look at him,

"I think you should go Cloud." she told him, trying her best to conceal her mixed emotions and began to shut the door.

Cloud reached over and grabbed the door from behind her.

"Wait, Tifa please!" he pleaded.

"Please just let me talk to you." he asked of her desperately.

Tifa sighed heavily and stayed silent for just a moment as she tried to sort out all of the many thoughts that were racing through her mind in that moment. She looked back up at Cloud.

"Alright, come back around ten tonight and we can talk...however futile the conversation may be." she said with a bit of venom.

Cloud blinked in shock at Tifa's tone. Not wanting to hear another word, Tifa shut the door. As soon as the door shut, Tifa rested her back on the door, put her hand over her mouth and sobbed quietly; hoping that Alexei would not hear her. Taking in deep breaths, she walked over to her sink to grab a glass of water. So many thoughts were going through her head. What did he want? Why did he wait two years to come looking for her? She gulped down the water and quickly poured more. ' I need something stronger than water' she thought and retrieved her shot glass from the top of the refrigerator. Tifa poured some scotch into the glass and shot it back. Tifa rested her arms on the counter top and threw her head back, taking in a long breath.

"Hey beautiful..who was at the door?" Alexei asked

"Oh um...just a uh..door-to-door salesman..that's all." she replied as she scrambled to find her words.

Alexei smiled at her at first but then his look turned a little concerned, noticing that Tifa seemed a little on edge.

" Are you okay? You seem upset" He asked her

Tifa nodded "Yes, yes, I'm fine, just a little tired, that's all" she said while forcing a smile.

Alexei chuckled lightly and walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Well would you like to go take a nap?" He asked.

Tifa nodded and before she knew it, Alexei had scooped her up in his arms and carried her up the stairs to their bedroom. Tifa rested her head on his shoulder. Alexei lay Tifa gently on the bed and tucked her in. He kissed her forehead.

"Get some sleep okay? If you don't wake up before I leave for work then I will see you in the morning...I love you." He said. Tifa, pretending to be half asleep, nodded and turned over on her side.

Cloud stood outside, peeking through the living room window and watched as this man carried Tifa up the stairs. His fists clenched tightly and the sound of his heart breaking echoed in his ears. "I won't lose you that easily Tifa." he said to himself, staring into the house. He stood there for a moment, trying to grasp this new reality he was faced with and then walked off along the beach.

Tifa lay in bed and opened her eyes after hearing Alexei walk downstairs. She turned over on her back again and stared at the ceiling. Tears formed and fell to the side of Tifa's forehead and onto her pillow. She knew that she indeed loved Alexei. He had been the one who'd brought her back to being herself; he cared for her so deeply, always there to listen to her spill her heart out to him. Although she never did mention Cloud much; she had no desire to let Cloud even cross her mind so she avoided the subject of him as much as she could. What was she going to do now that he was here? What could he possibly want to say to her after two years without a word from him? She loved Alexei, but a part of her would always be for Cloud. Tifa rolled back over and tried to sleep everything off but not before setting her alarm for 10:00 pm.


	7. Chapter VII: Rejected

*Author's note: WARNING: suggestive nudity!

Cloud walked along the beach, checking his watch constantly, eagerly waiting for 10 pm to arrive.

"God, what am I going to say to her?" he said to himself putting his head in his hands and running his hands through his hair once. His spikes falling back into perfect position.

"You can start with an explanation of why you're here." a voice said loudly from behind him.

Cloud quickly turned around to see Tifa standing there with her bare feet in the tide. Staring at her intently, Cloud took in her beauty. She was wearing a pair of torn jeans, cutting off at the knees and a black tank top. Her raven hair blowing gracefully in the wind and of course those gorgeous ruby eyes, illuminated by the moon's reflection in the water. Cloud approached her slowly. Tifa watching his every move.

" I just wanted to see you Teef." Cloud said, struggling to find the words to explain himself.

"It took you two years to want to see me Cloud?" Tifa asked with a angry, puzzled look on her face, crossing her arms.

"Teef..I..I um.." Cloud stuttered; lost for words.

"I just missed you Tifa." He said quietly.

Tifa's eyes gaped open. Was she really hearing this?

"Being on the road constantly..I had no home..I miss that feeling.." Cloud said.

Tifa looked down at her feet, her arms still crossed then turned her face up to look out into the ocean; the moon shining down on the perfection of her face. "You had a home Cloud...and you left it behind." she said, a single tear escaping her eye.

" I know Tifa, I know..and I came back to fix that but when I went to Midgar and saw the bar had been closed, I panicked." Cloud said to her, almost pleading for her to listen to him. He stepped a little closer to her, trying to fill in the space between them little by little.

"That's why I came back...to try and fix what I had broken." Cloud explained, trying to catch Tifa's gaze.

Tifa smiled tearfully, shook her head and looked up at him.

"You're too late...I moved on." she said.

Cloud took a step back, trying to absorb what she was telling him.

" So that man...you're living with him." He asked quietly and fear-stricken. Tifa nodded.

"Alexei was there when you weren't Cloud, he helped me put the pieces of my life back together; mine and Denzel's." She told him.

Tifa chocked back a sob. " You can't just leave for two years and return suddenly and expect everything to be the way it was!" she shouted.

Tifa stomped toward Cloud angrily shouting at him, letting out everything she's bottled up for the past two years. "Do you have ANY idea what you put me through...what you put Denzel through?" She shouted, shoving him by the chest slightly. Cloud completely taken back by her actions. He grabbed her wrists as she shoved him. "I'm SORRY Tifa!" he shouted at her, trying with every cell in his being to get her to hear him out. Tifa stared at him; piercing through him like a bullet.

"...I'm sorry..." he whispered to her.

Tifa pulled her arms out of Cloud's grasp and backed away.

"Well it's a little too late for sorry Cloud." She told him, her heart aching with every word she spoke. She began to turn away when Cloud pulled her back by the shoulder with a gentle force. Both of them silence, Cloud leaned in and pressed his lips against Tifa's soft, plush, lips ever so gently. Tifa, at first, fell into the kiss but opened her eyes and pushed him back after coming to.

"I can't do this Cloud...I'm with Alexei...this isn't fair to him.." She said with a voice filled with sadness. Cloud was at a loss for words.

Tifa stepped back from him. "I think you should go Cloud..please...just go.." she said as she felt tears welling in her eyes.

She turned away from him and walked away, leaving Cloud humbled and heartbroken. Tifa walked back to her villa, sobbing the entire walk back. When she got back to the villa, she walked up the stairs and peeked into Denzel's room. She looked at his sleeping form and than walked away and into her room and tucked herself into bed.

A couple of hours passed that night. Tifa woke suddenly, he sleep was so broken that night, troubled by the conversation she'd had with Cloud just hours earlier. Tifa rose out of bed and walked downstairs. She looked out her backdoor window which had a private view of the ocean. Tifa opened the door and walked outside, feeling the cool, crisp breeze. She closed her eyes and lifted her head toward the sky. Tifa then slipped her shoes off, followed by her shirt and bra, removing the rest of her clothing, she tossed them to the side of the beach. Completely bare, Tifa walked toward the ocean and let her toes wriggle in the sand . She reached her arms high and took a dive into the cool ocean water. She swam underwater for a few seconds and rose back up to the surface, feeling completely refreshed. The water, calming her nerves, she swam around for a few minutes.

Cloud was walking toward Tifa's villa and caught the slightest glimpse of Tifa's bare form. Flushed , he turned directly around and breathed in heavily, Turning his head slightly to see her once again, taking the sight in. Tifa really was beautiful in every way. Ashamed of himself for peaking again, he turned and walked away, praying that she wouldn't see him. Cloud walked off and found Fenrir. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a blanket and lay it on the soft sand. Sitting down, he leaned against Fenrir and drifted off.

Cloud was awakened the next morning by the various chatter of people heading out to start their day. Cloud got up and walked around for a bit. He had to find a way to get Tifa to talk to him. Cloud had passed a Tiki bar earlier, he decided to go back and get something to eat. It was only noon and the bar was buzzing with people. Cloud sat down at a table and ordered steak and eggs with coffee. Cloud overheard a familiar name being brought up in a conversation between two women and the bartender. Cloud listened intently.

"So did you hear the big news?" one of the girls told the bartender. The bartender shook his head.

The young woman gasped " You didn't hear that Alexei is planning to propose to his girlfriend?" she exclaimed.

When Cloud heard that, it was the biggest blow to his heart. Cloud had to do something to get Tifa to understand what he was trying to say. He began planning to try and see her again that night. And during this meeting, Cloud was going to tell her he loves her, whether she wants to hear it or not. If she refused him after tonight, than Cloud would respect her wishes and let her go. But if he feels that there is still a glimmer of hope, no matter how dimmed, he was going to fight for her.


	8. Chapter VIII: Bittersweet Decisions

**Author's Note: Warning! Sexual themes!

Tifa was just finishing up her morning shift at the bar; her night was restless, unable to get Cloud out of her head. She could still taste his lips. True, she did feel terrible that she neglected to tell Alexei about what had happened with Cloud the previous night but the sensation of feeling Cloud's lips touch hers was something she'd dreamed about since childhood. Snapping out of her reverie, Tifa hung up her apron and left the bar. Walking back to the villa, Cloud's words began to ring in her ears. Does he really miss me? Or has he just become bored of his recent lifestyle? She thought to herself. She walked into her villa.

"Alexei, I'm home." she shouted, throwing her keys on the side console table. Denzel was not going to be home from school for at least a couple of hours. Alexei walked over to the banister at the top of the stairs and rushed down to greet Tifa.

"Hey babe." He said, giving her a long kiss.

"How was the morning shift?" he asked.

Tifa shrugged "Pretty mundane." she replied. Her thoughts were so preoccupied with Cloud that she could hardly even remember an events that had occurred at the bar that morning.

"Well, I do have some bad news, Something is going on with the surf shop and I need to cover for one of the employees tonight; grave shift I'm afraid babe." Alexei said sounding disappointed.

"But I do have some plans for us tomorrow night so...try and keep your night open huh?" He said coily with a small wink.

Tifa lightly smile and nodded.

Her day carried on as usual and when 8 pm came, She kissed Alexei and walked him out the door as he walked out for his night shift. Shutting the door behind him, she turned and looked at Denzel.

"Alright, I think it's time for you to head to bed, early day for you tomorrow." Tifa suggested. Denzel was going on a class trip tomorrow to study marine life in Costa Del Sol.

"Aww...alright." Denzel said, finishing off his bowl of ice cream.

Tifa kissed his forehead and sent him on his way to bed. She followed upstairs and went into the bathroom to take a shower. After Drying off, Tifa slipped on a small pair of shorts and a white button up shirt. Something startled her when she thought she'd heard something coming from downstairs. Confused, she walked downstairs to see what was going on. She saw a shadow in the door window and peeked outside. It was Cloud standing there. Tifa sighed and rested her head on the door. She wasn't sure she could handle another argument with him. She opened the door.

"Cloud, What are you doing here? She asked in an exhausted and unamused tone.

"Tifa, will you just walk with me..please." he begged.

Tifa cocked the side of her mouth slightly and sighed deeply in annoyance.

"Alright." she said.

Cloud smiled and took her hand to follow him.

As they were walking Tifa watched Cloud, he was gorgeous. Alexei's eyes were beautiful but no eyes compared to those that belonged to Cloud Strife; the only eyes that could make her heart melt, that wer burned within her vision. She watched his toned figure move in the shadow of the moonlight. Tifa's heart skipped a beat when she felt Cloud slightly tighten his grip around her hand.

"Cloud, where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see in a minute." he said giving her a shy smile.

After just a few more moments of walking, he turned in front of her, grabbed her hands and covered her eyes.

"Come on Cloud, aren't we a little old for this?" she asked

"Shhh." he replied

Pulling her forward, he stood behind her and then gently moved her hands away from her eyes and Tifa's felt a warm sensation over come her. A small sheet was sprawled across the beach, with a single calla lily in the center; her favorite flower. Candles aligned the perimeter of the sheet.

"Cloud?" she said in an accusatory tone, turning to glare at him.

"Relax Tifa, just sit with me for a while." He said while seating herself and extending his arm out to her. Tifa tensely took his hand and sat beside him.

"Alright Cloud, what's going on?" Tifa asked, not falling for what ever it was he was planning. Cloud smirked at her and stood up, carrying the calla lily with him.

"Tifa, every night while I was gone, I missed you; I missed hearing your voice in the morning, I missed hearing you reassure me." He explained.

Tifa rolled her eyes "Cloud Plea-" Tifa started until Cloud cut her off.

"And when the thought of never seeing you again came into my mind...I came to find that a life like that, was not worth living." He said.

Cloud tucked the lily behind Tifa's ear. And lifted her chin using his thumb and index figure, he could see her eyes glistening with tears which she was too stubborn to release.

" I missed you every day, Tifa." he whispered. His eyes reverted back and forth from her eyes to her lip a few times and he slowly leaned down towards her; gently pulling up her chin. His lips met hers in a sweet kiss. After a second Cloud broke the kiss and pulled away slightly, never breaking their gaze.

"I love you Tifa and I can't believe I was so foolish to wait this long, I pray that I'm not too late." Tifa sighed heavily and closed her eyes tightly, taking in Cloud's voice. Tifa wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply; taking him slightly off guard. The kiss lasted for a moment when it broke only to be followed by longer and more passionate ones. Tifa rested her forehead on Cloud's chin.

"I love you so much." she whispered, feeling so bittersweet towards her confession. Cloud released a sigh as Tifa confirmed that her feelings reflected his. Cloud reached up and cupped both of her cheeks and pulled her in for a deep, feverish kiss. Cloud broke the kiss gently and looked down slightly; looking back up he began to unbutton Tifa's shirt; leaning in and pressing his lips to her neck. Slightly trembling, Tifa stared into Cloud's eyes, filled with passion and pulled his shirt up over his head, throwing it into the sand. Tifa slowly descended and sat on the blanket; nodding to Cloud in approval. Cloud followed the command in her eyes and knelt down, over her and took her into his arms, their kisses passionate and unrelenting, unwilling to ever leave each others' embrace.

The sun began to rise Tifa awoke to the sunlight beating against her eyes. She slowly got up and turned her head to the side, seeing Cloud's naked form lying there; sleeping soundly with a light sheet reaching up to his hips still exposing his upper body. She smiled and leaned down to trace light kisses down her back. They'd made love last night and both were in complete ecstasy, finally consummating their love. She watched Cloud as he smiled gently in his sleep.

"Tifa!" someone shouted.

'Oh god..Alexei.' Tifa gasped, recognizing his voice. Tifa quickly scrambled up from the sheet, waking a slightly confused Cloud and clumsily gathered her clothes, using the sheet to cover her nude body.

"Tifa?"

Tifa's head shot up as she saw Alexei standing in front of her.

His eyes were glaring at her in disbelief.

"Tifa, what the hell are you doing?" he shouted, looking to the side to see a half naked Cloud putting on his clothes.

"Alexei please...I can explain." Tifa tried.

Alexei pushed passed her and shoved Cloud by the chest.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He shouted in Cloud's face. Cloud grimaced at him and simply turned away. Alexei took Cloud by the shoulder and threw a punch to the side of Cloud's jaw.

"Stop!" Tifa shouted

"Alexei this is my problem! Not his!" she said, stepping in front of Cloud.

"You stupid bitch, how could you do this." he shouted. Cloud, filled with rage after hearing Alexei call her such things, ran up and elbowed him, making contact with Alexei's eye and mouth.

Alexei shouted in pain.

"Cloud stop!" Tifa shouted.

Alexei wiped his mouth with his forearm and spat out blood.

"Forget you." he said, turning away from Tifa.

"No wait!" Tifa shouted running after him. Cloud's heart pounded as he watched the woman he'd just confessed his love to, run off after Alexei. He gathered the rest of his things and walked away. 'She still wants Alexei..' he thought to himself.

Alexei marched forward as Tifa ran at his side, begging for him to listen to her and explaining her past with Cloud; a piece of information she'd hid from him throughout their entire relationship.

Alexei stopped.

"Listen Tifa, I'm not going to be made a fool of, do you have any idea how many women in this town would love to be in your shoes?" He asked. "Do you have ANY idea how much I care for you." He asked, staring into Tifa's ruby eyes.

He turned to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking even deeper into her eyes. "Do you love me Tifa?" he asked

Tifa looked down at first and then looked up at Alexei.

"Yes...I do love you.." she said trailing off

Alexei pulled back.. "But you love him more..." he replied, finishing her sentence for her.

Tifa's gaze still to the floor, she nodded lightly.

Alexei laughed sarcastically. " I can't believe I put so much effort into a woman who, throughout our entire relationship was in love with another man." he said. "if you love him so much.. go and be with him.. I'm outta here." he said, grabbing a bag and walking out of the door.

Tifa hung her head low. She was not ashamed of what she had done but she was ashamed of allowing their relationship to get as far as it did when she knew that she could never love anyone as much as she loved Cloud.

"Cloud!" she said shouting.

She turned and ran out of the door, running toward the spot where she'd last seen Cloud. Not seeing anything except the calla lily that Cloud had given her, half buried in the sand, she looked around her desperately and caught a glimpse of the spiky haired blond in the distance. She sprinted up to him as fast as she could.

"Cloud!" she shouted from behind him. Cloud turned around and smiled at the site of her running toward him. Tifa leaped into him and forcefully kissed him with a fiery passion that she'd never thought herself capable of. They two broke the kiss and Cloud gently placed Tifa back on her feet.

" I love you." Tifa said, gazing into his cerulean blue eyes.

Cloud smiled and kissed her gently.

"I love you more." he replied and continued to plant gently kisses on Tifa's lips. Until they heard a voice in the distance shouting Tifa's name.

Tifa looked up from confused when she saw Denzel racing toward her.

"Cloud!" Denzel shouted gleefully and ran toward him.

Denzel rushed over and wrapped his arms around Cloud's legs. "You're back?" he asked, looking up at Cloud. Cloud smiled and nodded " For good this time?" he pleaded.

Cloud knelt down next to him and said "For good." he assured him.

Denzel smiled widely and turned to Tifa, hugging her waist.

"So are we a family again?" Denzel asked with each arm holding onto Tifa and Cloud.

Tifa looked up at Cloud and smiled.

Cloud returned her smile and then looked down at Denzel. "Yes, only this time, we are all going to stick by each other for always." he said.

Denzel jumped up in excitement and they walked back along the beaches, Denzel flooding Cloud's ears with questions about he'd been. Tifa and Cloud both looked at each other and smiled, leaning in for a small kiss as Denzel blushed at the sight. The three continued back to the villa as a family.

Alexei watched at a distance as Cloud, Tifa and Denzel walked off. He sighed heavily while watching the three of them. "Good luck Tifa." he said and walked off into the distance.

*Author's note: Well I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter to Sweet Insanity. I was really tough to decide whether or not I wanted everything to end peacefully between Alexei and Cloud. Will be creating an epilogue shortly to tie up some loose ends.


	9. Chapter IX: Epilogue

***Author's note: **A rather short and sweet ending to Sweet Insanity. Call it a bit cheesy but I felt that Cloud and Tifa deserved a sweet ending after all of the drama. Please R&R and stay tuned for my next up and coming fic 'The Reckless Desire'!

**2 years after the story...**

Cloud walked walked in to his house after a long day of deliveries. He removed his jacket and tossed it in the closet.

"I'm home!" He shouted in the house, removing his gloves and placing them on the side table, a gold ring shimmering on the ring finger of his left hand.

"Hey!" Tifa shouted and ran up to him, wrapping her arms around him, a similar ring glistening on her hand. She kissed him deeply, happy that he was finally home.

"So I've got some news." Cloud started "I'm not going to be doing deliveries on Tuesday.." he said suggestively. "So that means we can do what ever you'd like for our anniversary." He smiled, nuzzling the tip of Tifa's nose with his. Tifa smiled widely and proceeded to kiss her adoring husband sweetly.

Cloud and Tifa had been married for a year. They had a small ceremony in Aerith's church in Midgar where all of their comrads joined them to witness the ceremony; even Vincent showed. Most of them joked at how long it took for Cloud and Tifa to finally tie the knot.

They were now living in the small town of Kalm, Cloud continuing his delivery job and Tifa now owning a local restaurant. Denzel, of course, was thrilled to be back near Marlene again. Everyone would poke fun at the two; claiming that they were going to make such a handsome couple when they get older.

Everything was finally right with their family and the events of the week following Cloud and Tifa's wedding anniversary would serve as the final piece of the foundation of their lives.

It was 10:00 pm and Cloud was sitting up in bed, awaiting his Tifa to join him when he heard Tifa yell out his name.

"Cloud! I need you!" she shouted

Worried that something was wrong with his wife, Cloud ran out of the bedroom, down the hallway and stopped when he saw the bathroom door open with the lights on. Cloud stood in the doorway and stared at Tifa who appeared to have something in her hands. He looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"What is it Teef?' he asked in a concerned voice.

Tifa looked up at him with a few tears streaming down her face. She was smiling.

"I'm pregnant..." She whispered to him and lifted her hands to reveal the positive pregnancy test.

Cloud released a sigh as his heart felt as though it was ready to burst from his chest. Cloud ran over to Tifa and knelt down beside her, cupping her face with both hands.

"Tifa..really?" he asked, his face filled with joy. Tifa shook her head yes, barely able to contain her blissfulness.

Cloud grinned in response and picked Tifa up, kissing her feverishly, Tifa giggling and laughing in pure bliss.

Tifa looked into the blue oceans of his eyes and smiled softly. "You're going to have a big family Mr. Strife...you better take care of us."

Cloud smiled and took Tifa in his arms again, bringing her in for a passionate kiss.


End file.
